Julian Gewirtz

A Foreign Affairs Best Book of the Year A BBC History Magazine Best Book of the Year "Excellent…A fascinating, authoritative account of the paths for China's future explored during a decade long buried by official, state-sponsored history." - Julia Lovell, Foreign Policy "A vivid and readable account…Exceptionally well-researched." - Andrew Nathan, Foreign Affairs "The definitive book on China in the...

The history the Chinese Communist Party has tried to erase: the dramatic political debates of the 1980s that could have put China on a path to greater openness. On a hike in Guangdong Province in January 1984, Deng Xiaoping was warned that his path was a steep and treacherous one. "Never turn back," the Chinese leader replied. That became a...